Italian Turkey Meatballs

Posted on by LFFL

Turkey Meatballs

Made with breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, fresh parsley, milk, ketchup, tomato paste, salt & pepper, eggs, minced garlic cloves, onion, ground dark turkey meat, Italian turkey sausage, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Sauce made with extra-virgin olive oil, smashed garlic cloves, onion, salt & pepper, fresh basil, ground fennel seeds, dried oregano, and crushed tomatoes.

It was a meatball dinner night! And, ohhhhh, how I could taste the fennel and oregano in the sauce mixture. Β So spot on.

Chop some fresh basil.
Sautee the onions & garlic with ground fennel & oregano.
Throw in crushed tomatoes.
Roll the meatballs.

I believe a good-sized meatball should be no smaller than the size of a baseball—but if you must go smaller, no smaller than a golf ball.

I imagine these meatballs would be good loaded on top of some spaghetti just the same as straight for dinner by themselves. Β The recipe did not call for making a pasta dish, so straight down my pipe they went as is.

Recipe for—Italian Turkey Meatballs

So, if you have nothing else to do today, make some good time meatballs for dinner anyway you like them.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Β No need to make tiny-sized meatballs when you can make them the size of a bowling ball from the onset.

36 thoughts on “Italian Turkey Meatballs”

  1. Basil has become one of my favorites lately. Turkey is and will always be my top three protein sources. These meatballs look rather amazing. Sadly, the amazingly scrumptious turkey doesn’t get the shine it deserves, but these photos surely do it justice. Bravo!

    1. Thanks, Errol. People think it’s not “real” meat. I’d much prefer ground turkey or ground chicken over ground beef for the most part.

      1. My mum knows I love turkey so much, she buys every now and again just to surprise me…”Son, it’s me mom. When you get a chance to stop by, I roasted a turkey for you.” Lol. And it isn’t even my birthday or Thanksgiving. HaHa

  3. I love meatballs and have tried some with Italian turkey sausage, which does add some spicy flavor. However, I can never get past the fact that “turkey” is not actually a meat! I guess I’m a purist… So I make the mixture with half beef (or even venison).

    Good advice about the basil. My mom gets it to last pretty long by putting it in a tall cup, covering it with a plastic bag, and tying it around the middle of the cup. The herbs can a week or so in the fridge this way.

  4. Looks yummy. I might give it a go – or, even better, get my daughter to do it, as she’s been bitten by the cooking bug and loves trying new things. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Once bitten it’s hard to turn back. Tell her to give it a go and you can relax and be the taster. πŸ™‚

  7. Yummmm. πŸ˜€ I love oregano, it’s my favorite. I always sneak in about an extra ten pounds when we make spaghetti sauce at home. I’ve never tried turkey sausage or ground turkey though — I think I might like it better than regular sausage (not a fan!). A quest!

  10. This looks so enticing! I’ve never come across turkey sausage before… is it spicy? Could you use this recipe but substitute another type of meat? I love the idea of using fennel… it had never occurred to me before, but it would be delightful!

    1. I didn’t notice any spiciness at all with the sausage but that could be because I mixed it so well with the ground dark turkey meat. I don’t think I’ve ever tried turkey sausage by itself before.

  14. Mmmmm – fresh basil – not around here, unfortunately!! But it is WON-derful in meatballs. And meatballs are wonderful to have around – just like tiny little meatloaves waiting to get sauced! ;->

    Virtual hugs,

    Judie

      1. We have cilantro in nice bunches, but basil is so fragile. I did get a bunch once, but it spoils so quickly. I guess the store found they lost too much before it was even sold. More easily obtained when we lived in California. It is definitely a yummy herb for fresh pizza.

        1. Fresh basil is good in lots of things. I can usually get my fresh basil to last about a week (if I’m lucky) if I put it on the counter in some water and leave clear plastic over the leaves.

          2. I saw it on one of those Food Network shows. I usually just leave the plastic that is already around these leaves as it is, but they suggested getting a ziplock sandwich bag of some sort and placing it over the top. Good luck! πŸ™‚

          3. Thanks. Here’s hoping I can find some. A co-worker used to bring it to me out of her garden in California. Now that was FRESH!

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